Ego Nwodim announced Friday that she is leaving Saturday Night Live after seven seasons, posting a farewell message to followers on Instagram.
"The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight," the 37-year-old comedian wrote, adding, "But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave 'SNL.'" She thanked show creator Lorne Michaels, her castmates, writers and crew, and wrote that the experience taught her more than she had imagined. She concluded the post with a lighthearted plea: "Now invite me to your weddings please!!!"
Nwodim joined the NBC late-night sketch series as a feature player in 2018 for Season 44 and was promoted to the main cast in 2020. Colleagues responded to her announcement on social media: Chloe Fineman called her "one of the best to ever do it," and Cecily Strong wrote that it had been "an honor and total joy" to work with her. Nwodim reposted her farewell to her Instagram Story with a red heart and later shared that scammers had already reached out offering "remote part-time" work after her exit.
Her departure comes amid broader personnel changes at SNL. Creator Lorne Michaels told Puck News in August he planned to "shake things up" amid pressure to "reinvent" the long-running series. News outlets subsequently reported that cast members Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker are also leaving. The Post reported earlier this month that Gardner, the longest-tenured female cast member, did not have her contract renewed.
Producers have moved to refresh the lineup: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska have been tapped to join the cast. The changes mark one of several turnover periods in SNL's more than four-decade history as the show adjusts its roster ahead of upcoming seasons.
During her seven seasons on the show, Nwodim became a regular presence in sketches and developed recurring characters that featured across Weekend Update and sketch segments. She leaves with the kind of public and peer praise often accorded to long-serving cast members, and with no immediate follow-up projects announced in her Instagram statement.
SNL's production and casting plans for the season following these departures have not been detailed by NBC. The series has typically announced official season and cast information in advance of its fall premiere schedule.